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If you are the kind of player that enjoys games with rules that are easy to learn, but difficult to master, then Blackjack is certainly your kind of game. While the rules are very quickly learned, there are many influences that a player must understand before achieving any type of proficiency with this timeless classic.

Fortunately Real Time Gaming’s gaming software very closely mimics traditional card play so well that all viable Blackjack strategies will work equally well in Real Time Gaming. This is very important before a player decides to start playing in the online casino environment.

The first item that you must understand is that the odds in Blackjack favor the house. For example, it’s not uncommon for both the dealer and the player to go over twenty-one, or “bust.” If this happens to you will lose your wager.

Another commonly misunderstood bet is the “insurance” bet. This is a side bet that you can make outside the typical wager. This bet comes in to play when the dealer is showing an Ace card face up (players are dealt two cards, initially, with one of the cards being placed face up and the other face down). An insurance bet can then be made. This is a bet that if the dealer has a ten card, and ends up getting a Blackjack, the player will lose their initial wager, but if they made the insurance bet they win that bet. The insurance bet pays two to one and the player breaks even. For many this might sound like a good bet to make but as a player you must realize the likelihood of a dealer getting Blackjack, which is very unlikely with the first two cards. It is typically regarded as somewhat of a fool’s bet, but to novice players appears to be sound thinking. Some experts have even gone so far as to say that this bet should never be made unless a player is counting the cards. Many casinos regard card counting as cheating and a player should never engage in any activity that would be considered unethical.
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Today, we’re going to take a look at a couple key components to the game of Blackjack in the casino-decks and player positions.

Decks

Blackjack can be played with any number of decks. As the number of decks increase, the game becomes better for the house (casino). In the old days, the game was single-deck Blackjack. Eventually, casinos figured out that they could improve their odds by adding one more deck.

Today, single-deck Blackjack in the real world can be hard to find-unless you want to play $25+ per hand. Usually, the lower limit tables (under $25 per hand) are multi-deck games. Most of those use 4,6 or 8 decks.

Don’t be fooled by online casinos. Yes, they may use a single deck, but the deck is shuffled after each hand (unless specified). This isn’t the same as a single-deck game in the real world, because those games aren’t shuffled after each hand. It makes a difference. Real world single deck games are better for you.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t play Blackjack online. Just be aware of the differences. For instance, since the online casinos shuffle after each hand, counting cards is of no use to you.

Player Positioning

If you’re playing Blackjack by yourself, this section won’t matter. But, if you’re playing with others, it pays to know the order of play.

The order of play starts with the player position to the left of the dealer. This position is known as first base. The order of play continues in a clockwise direction. The last player position to play is to the immediate right of the deal. This position is known as third base and it’s a coveted position to be in.
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If you want to begin gambling at any one of the online casinos found on the Internet, there are a few things you should be made aware of. For one thing, not all online casinos are created equal—not only do casinos differ in terms of rules and regulations, but just like the traditional brick and mortar casinos, different online casinos will offer up different forms of gambling entertainment. Also, not every online casino is created as an “honest and forthright” gambling institution and the Internet gambler needs to keep a wary eye open for online casino scams.

First, when you visit an online casino it is not wise to immediately sign up for an account just because the website
offers the type of gambling entertainment you love, nor is it wise to sign up because an online casino website offer seems particularly appealing. Rather, it becomes necessary for Internet gamblers to do a little research about the casino they are considering, before they create and account. In doing so, the Internet gambler will be taking preemptive measures to protect their hard earned money and to make sure that their gambling endeavors remain entertaining.
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Copyright 2006 Patricia Rossman

It is no secret that despite the legality of online gambling in the United States, it has become the fastest growing industry on the Internet. The desire to wager online has even surpassed the virtual power of online pornography. Online gambling is a $12 billion a year industry, with about half of that amount generated within the United States, and some analysis believe this figure will double by the year 2010. To what secret does the industry owe this awesome success? It’s quite simple from a psychological point of view; individuals indulge in the thrill of spending a little to win a lot. Akin to the lottery it is the purchase of hope, as in the hope of easily taking a few dollars and turning them into a massive amount of money.

Surprisingly Internet gambling marketing campaigns have been almost exclusively geared toward men; that is until now. The majority of advertisements and banners feature scantly clad beautiful young women or round tables full of cigar smoking male poker players. The target audience for online gambling is readily accepted by the industry as the 30-40 year old, college educated male. Even Playboy has its own online casino, which by definition alone is definitely targeted directly and absolutely to the male audience. Why is online gambling almost exclusively targeted toward a male audience? In two research studies one conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc. (2006) and one conducted by Luntz, Manlansky Strategic Research (2006) published by the American Gaming Association the percentage of male and female brick-and mortar gamblers was nearly equal with men making up 53% of the population and the other 47% consisting of women. However, men out numbered women almost three-to-one in the virtual gambling world where men comprised 68% of the populations studied leaving women to make up the remaining 32%.

This leads one to ask, where is the disconnect between the two mediums of gambling? Could it be short-sighted, over targeted advertising toward the male audience? Or, could it be that these figures are skewed by including online poker, which is traditionally a male hobby? Whatever the answer is for this phenomenon, one online casino group has finally decided to think outside the box and reach out exclusively to the online female gambling market.
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